St. Landry democrat., 1887-03-19
WARRINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.

" ASIINGTON, ~. u. MCn. Itn, 1904.
The Forty Ninth Congress has passed
into history. 1t leaves record which
compares most favorably with that of
any Congress of recent years, and sur
passes that of almost every Congress
which was divided by the two great
political parties into two hostile camps
1t afforded striking eXamdle, too, OF
the CONSTANT increase III the volume OF
desired legislation which has been go
ing on tor the last six Oh eight yeais.
More bills were introduced in both
Houses of the Forty Ninth, more COM
smlttee reports were made, more bills
were passed, more became laws and
more we've vetoed than ever before by
any Congress.
There were introduced into the
House during the two sessions 1888
bills and 1853 joint resolutions, Oh which
over 5000 reports were made. This
was several thousand more bills and
were made 10y the Forty Eighth Con-
gress, which had, in its turn, beaten the
record. In the Senate there were iu-
treduced over 5000 bills on which near
fy two thousand written reports We're
made, being upward of 500 more bills
than by the record breaking Forty
Eighth The death-roll also of the last
Congress was unusually long, complis-
ing thirteen names.
The total number of laws enacted
was about 1890, while 1872 were vetoed
by the President, making tweDty-uue
more instances of the exercise OF the
Presidential prerogative of to than
had occurred from the foundation of
the Government down to the beginning
of the this Congress. Only one private
pension bill and one public bill, namely
that providing for Government build
ing at Dayton, Ohio, succeeded in pass
ing both houses over the Presidents
veto. AS to what became of various
important bills which failed, lack of
space will forbid me to tell their " hole
story in detail. Quite number of
them, however, which were passed by
both houses, never reached the Presi-
dent because of differences in regard
to them between the two houses.
Congress was in session the whole
Dight preceding the day of adjourn
ment. The House, with unusual per-
tinacity, sat continuously from eight
o'clock Thursday night until Friday
noon, the hour at which the session
expired. The usual scenes of a last
night were enacted. The Capitol was
filed with people who wanted TO see
the close, but only a small portion of
whom could gain admittance to the al |
ready crowded galleries.
Congress reverses the usual circum
stances which associate themselves
with death scene. 1t does away with
all solemnity and quiet, decorous hush
and suppression of noise. People who
want to witness the most riotous scenes
OF which representative body can be
guilty, have only to crowd the galleries
during the dying hours of Congress. If
they want to see men of Ieputed dignity |
In undignitied antics, they will not he
for there is license then
which at other times is not INDUCED, |
Never since Congress had an existence
has there been such confusion, haste |
and general disregard of parliamentary
safe guards in the transaction of bust
ness, as characterized the proceedings
Of Thursday, Thursday night and Fri
day morning.
When it was rumored, about noon on
Friday. that the President was on his
way to the Capital at the reunest of
Speaker Carlisle, who Informed him
that certain scarcely finished bills conld i
DC saved from death in no other way,
the crowd IN the Capitol began to
Presidents room being in that end of
the Capitol. The result was that the
police force had more than it conId do
10 control the swaying mass of humani
" that wanted TO see the President.
congressman, also, with varying sue
cess, made vigorous efforts to squeeze
their way through the crowd to INQUIRE
z the arblter of the destiny of certain
bills in which they were interested had
arrived. '''''
:, he came with several members of his
Iaolnet, repaired to his room and SET
TED down 10 business. But the clock
DOW pointed TO twelve. There was
UNIT to the speed and endurance of
'ierlcai fingers, and the tagged out en-
.oiiing clerks who had been running
ace WITH time won only in the case of
ne District appropriation bill. And
ms ~ Was que TO tLat venerable officer. /
APT. Bassttt, who armed himself with
Ras-iIghter and Gas he has done bien. !
'Ially Tor q quarter Of 4 centnrv) ,
aonnieG char and pulled hack the >
anas OF the Senate clock. The Presi-
enG sIgneu inns promptly, but the {
amos OF .he clock crept up to twelve {